All parish and town councils need access to good quality maps and aerial photography of their area. Whether it be for Neighbourhood Planning, looking at the potential impact of a planning application, or recording where the dog bins are, digital mapping is at the heart of efficient and effective council management. Northants CALC is collaborating with our partners at Parish Online, suppliers of mapping tools to more than 850 parish and town councils across the UK for over 10 years, to put on an event to showcase the benefits and advantages of online mapping. The event is being held at The Forum, Towcester on Monday 22 January 2018 and the day is split into two sections:

The morning session runs from 10:00 a.m. to 12 noon and is a demonstration session aimed at councils that have not used online mapping tools before to learn all about the features and benefits of mapping tools, with practical demonstrations using real-world examples. This part of the event is free of charge to attend and light refreshments will be provided. Attendees will see the Parish Online system in operation and learn how it could support their council's work.

The afternoon session runs from 12:45 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. and is a training session aimed at councils that have registered with Parish Online already and want to know how to get the most out of the system. Perhaps the council signed up a while ago but hasn't yet learnt how to maximise the system to best advantage. Perhaps whoever in the council that uses the system has "How do I…?" questions. The session will be divided into a beginner's workshop and a next-steps workshop to suit different levels of product knowledge. All delegates will learn how to make the most of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and how to set up and customise Parish Online to the needs of their council. The session is £36 per delegate and light refreshments will be provided.

Clerks and councillors are welcome to attend both sessions, which will be particularly valuable to those that have already identified the need to purchase an online mapping system, or to those that have recently purchased Parish Online but have not yet used it. For delegates staying the whole day, there is a café at The Forum for lunch, or the historic market town of Towcester is a stone's throw away.

To find out more about the features and benefits of Parish Online and to see pricing information for your council (based on population) please go to http://www.parish-online.co.uk.

BREAKING NEWS: Secretary of State @JBrokenshire announces that, as expected, there will be two unitary councils for Northamptonshire. Vesting Day is 1 April 2021. Detail on implications for parish and town council elections to follow. #unitary#northamptonshire#HCWS1556